How strongly does childhood shape adult lives?
Quite a bit depends on how we answer that question. If we view childhood as a basically frivolous interlude whose hard knocks can be overcome with hard work and persistence later on, we might not have reason to invest much as a society in early childhood programs. But if we see the earliest years as laying down enduring tracks for everything from health to lifelong earning potential, then suddenly those first years become some of life’s most crucial.
Yet even if we stand on the shoulders of earlier research showing that early childhood experiences can shape adult health and well-being, the question of just how much they matter isn’t settled science. But a study out this week in the journal Nature Human Behaviour sheds new light on the question, showing that early childhood risks strongly predicted adult outcomes on measures such as criminal convictions, welfare benefits, hospitalizations and fatherless families.
[For more of this story, written by Ryan White, go to http://www.centerforhealthjour...werfully-stacks-deck]
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